


The Tell Tale Eye

by Jemsquash



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, And an Alpha, Creepy Orochimaru (Naruto), F/F, F/M, Kakashi is in denial, M/M, Nohara Rin Lives, Orochimaru gets what coming to him, Team Minato-centric, help I didn't plot this for months it just happened, no pedo stuff, no rapey undertones, no usual ABO skivyness, why is there plot and no porn in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-02
Updated: 2018-08-20
Packaged: 2019-04-17 12:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14189148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jemsquash/pseuds/Jemsquash
Summary: It took Kakashi an embarrassing amount of time to realize the scent of an omega was coming from his uncovered Sharingan,  And then an even longer time for his mind to accept that if Obito’s eye was giving off the scent of an omega then that meant-No. Oh no.(an A/O/B AU where Minato is the most terrifying omega ever to get the Hokage hat, Rin got trained by Tsunade and Orochimaru on alternating weeks and Obito is the Gina Linetti of the Uchiha police force. Kakashi still manages to be a sad shadow of the ANBU until Obito belatedly presents as an omega and systematically ruins the little remaining sanity Kakashi has managed to cling to. No rapey or pedo elements, no feminizing or lack of consenting.)





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> There are so many lovely A/O/B fics with Obito/Kakashi and they are all a joy to read. But there needs to be more Omega Obito. And so, this monstrosity was created. I have no solid worldbuilding or plot, no idea how any of this works. It's just a fun attempt for me. Feel free to comment with any ideas or theories of your own.
> 
> And no genderchanges, surprisingly for me.

Kakashi was elbow deep in the chest cavity of a particularly annoying spy when he smelled the subtle fragrance of an omega. It wasn’t the spy, his scent was that of a freshly dead beta, complete with shit and blood and poison he had failed to use on Kakashi in time to save himself. And it wasn’t Kakashi’s belligerent alpha scent either, that was concealed under the ANBU issued soap.

There wasn’t anyone else around in the tiny room Kakashi had tracked the spy to, and the space was sealed tightly to prevent anything from the outside from coming in.

It took Kakashi an embarrassing amount of time to realize the scent was coming from his uncovered Sharingan, bared to help him find the dead spy’s cipher scroll. And then an even longer time for his mind to accept that if Obito’s eye was giving off the scent of an omega then that meant-

No, no. Obito’s Nature was a beta, with no extra sweet-hormones to his placid scent. Kakashi had never seen or heard a hint that Obito was anything else. Natures were known at birth; his family would have raised Obito to act in the right way.

(Kakashi was uncertain on what the right way was since most omega he knew acted the same as any other shinobi… but damnit Obito should have set off some sort of signal for Kakashi to pick up on before now.)

Of course, the Uchiha were one of the clans that valued fighting ability over everything and considered neither gender nor nature an excuse not to kick ass. And Natures had been concealed and not spoken of during the war. And after Obito had saved Kakashi’s life and given Kakashi his eye, after Minato-sensei had dragged Obito’s crushed body out it had been unlikely he would ever grow again, much less mature to a second puberty.

Kakashi pictured Obito in his mind, the far-off glimpse he had caught of him a week ago. Had he seemed any different? He had been in a wheelchair again, recovering from another round of surgeries to his spine, ones that Rin had spent the better part of a decade perfecting. Would that have in some way restarted his growth? His hormones? What the hell was going on?

Kakashi compartmentalized his issues, covered the Sharingan and blocked off the scent, then escaped the building, then the town and finally the Land of Reeds. It was half a day later before he stopped long enough to let his mind think on the matter again.

If Obito was an omega was that why he and Rin broke up? Kakashi didn’t think either of his teammates gave much concern about Natures and the traditional pairings of alpha and omega. He had seen Rin cuddling with Anko a few weeks ago, as he fled the restaurant before she could spot him. Why would anyone choose a spiky pile of issues like Anko when you could have a warm adoring Obito as an option?

The urge to uncover his eye and again smell the tantalizing scent is a strong one, but Kakashi resisted it. It was just the smell of an omega, not even one in heat or anything.

The fact that Obito could go into heat made terrible things happen to Kakashi’s lower body and he had to crouch down against a steady tree and just… consider the image of Obito with heat flushed skin and shaking limbs, overwhelmed with his body’s need to be held down and filled. He’d probably cry the whole way through, wet cheeks and lips glistening with sweet tasting tears.

That image would haunt Kakashi all the way back to Konoha, where he accepted orders to see a doctor for his injuries and then caused a fuss at the hospital until Rin was dragged in from her supper break.

Rin Nohara, the girl Tsunade and Orochimaru fought over, came into the examination room still chewing on her food. If not for the purple marks on her cheeks and usual scent, Kakashi could believe the tall confident woman in a white doctor’s coat with short spiky hair was someone else. Not the smiling teammate who once hung onto his every word.

“Well? What is it?” Rin demanded, gloved fist ready to punch at the slightest hint of violence from Kakashi.

Honestly, you cut someone’s ankle tendons once to keep them from going out to war again and they never forgive you, even when they learn to heal all the damage only two years later. Rin had never thanked Kakashi. Obito had tried to choke him from his hospital bed. Ingrates. No one would like an omega with that much attitude.

Abruptly the memories of Obito sleeping crossed Kakashi’s mind. Obito had been in a coma for weeks after his first limb transplant, soft and open and vulnerable. Kakashi spent more time than he should have guarding him when Rin and his family were away, occasionally brushing back his hair.

If Obito wanted an alpha he’d have to take more care with his appearance now. Actually brush and style his hair, not just let it hang over his facial scars. And he’d have to wear nicer clothing, fitted robes in complementary colours. Kakashi could picture him in a nice robe of light blue, soft cream underneath, offsetting the natural paleness of his neck and shoulders.

“I said, what do you want?” Rin growled again. Now she looked more like her other master, fingers flickering over the collection shiny surgery tools she kept in her breast pocket. She still visited Orochimaru in prison every other week, draining him of most of his chakra before calmly discussing new surgical techniques.

“How did Obito’s surgery go, is he walking again?”

“None of your damn business!”

“If you don’t tell me I’ll ask someone else, but then certain new details about Obito may become public knowledge.” Kakashi ran his thumb under his covered eye pointedly. “Certain developments.” He lifted up the eye cover a tiny bit and leaned forward to let the scent waft over to Rin’s less sensitive nose.

“You disgust me.” Rin told him, using her chakra to burn the scent in the air away. “You… you keep your trap shut or I will surgically attach that mask to your face, so you starve to death.”

Kakashi doesn’t point out the flaws in her murder threat. Just nodded and let her begrudgingly carry out her check-up. He tried not to let on how much he enjoys having Rin healing his minor sprains and cuts, her skill miles better than any other medic-nin in the hospital.

As Rin set her chakra to healing she grudgingly talked, “Obito’s healing well, he should be able to walk without a crutch in a week and able to restart his shinobi training in a few months. His hormonal glands being fixed enough to start producing scent was an unexpected result. There’s no way of knowing if he’ll ever go into heat or be capable of carrying children.”

Kakashi nodded and tried to stop thinking wistfully of Obito nursing a newborn, utterly besotted by the tiny creature in his arms. Which is weird because when Kakashi had to guard Minato while he was nursing, Kakashi had felt nothing but awkwardness.

“Would there be a reason Obito coming into his nature would affect….me.” Kakashi forced himself to ask. Because all the images and feelings he had been having could not be normal. Kakashi’s smelt omegas in heat before, Obito’s regular scent should not be affecting him so much.

“Not unless you’re finally going through puberty yourself.” Rin snapped at him. “So, no you’re safe from being slowed down by omega cooties or whatever it is that your worried about.”

“I’m worried about Obito.” He said honestly.

“Oh please. You haven’t cared about either of us since we stopped being useful teammates.” Rin said bitterly, as she pulled away to take off her gloves.

Kakashi doesn’t argue with her. It was partly true. Kakashi had gotten both his teammates crippled and safely off active duty until the war was well and truly over, then faded into ANBU with something like relief. No one made Kakashi feel things in the black ops. The links he had with his ever-rotating roster of workmates were nothing like the bond he had once had with his two genin teammates. Kakashi had fewer nightmares when both Rin and Obito were safe in the village with non-violent duties.

Rin’s brown eyes narrowed at his lack of a response to her accusations. “What is going on Kakashi? You’re acting strangely.”

“Nothing.” Kakashi stood up. “Thanks for the check-up, go back to your food.”

“Seriously Kakashi. Obito has gone through enough, he doesn’t need to deal with ignorant alphas like you who’ll say he got crushed because of his inferior nature.” Her eyes narrowed threateningly.

“I wouldn’t tell a soul,” Kakashi swore and left. And he meant it. He didn’t have the faintest idea what he was going to do with this information, but he wasn’t telling anyone else.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Still without a beta, without a real plot and without fucks to give.

A day or two later Kakashi decided to act. If he actually saw the real Obito and not the false one the omega scent created in his head, then maybe he can put a stop to all his daydreaming of a softly smiling Obito offering up his bare neck. It was better than Kakashi’s first idea of trying to use scent canceling soap on the eye…

Kakashi swapped tasks with another ANBU and headed to the new central police station. One of Minato many changes to tradition had been tripling the police budget, and then while the Uchiha were still nursing their celebratory hangovers, Minato followed up by breaking up the force into five divisions and stations around Konoha and demanding they double their numbers by allowing any qualified Konoha natives to join up.

Now, 6 years on, most of the Uchiha clan was prepared to admit it had been a successful change. The general population was less likely to be anti-police when they all had a cousin or friend working in the police force and breaking up the force meant the work of policing an entire village was broken up into more manageable areas. The fire-breathing clan had relaxed at the lessening of their burdens. Well, some of them had.

The front desk Uchiha doesn’t react visibly to the only non-Uchiha with a transplanted Sharingan signing himself in. She calmly filled in the paperwork and let Kakashi through the sealed doors with the utmost professionalism. It was only as the door was closing that Kakashi heard her hiss “The Lyrebird flies! Repeat: the Lyrebird flies!”

When Kakashi got to the bullpen floor, he entered to find every Uchiha in the room seated at their desks and death glaring up at him. Most of the non-Uchiha police workers had body language that spoke of long-suffering and a few even gave Kakashi looks of sympathy as he walked down the rows of desks towards the Police Captain’s office. The only one not looking up at Kakashi was Obito, focused on something on his desk.

Kakashi took a breath and tried to think of something casual to say. ‘Wow, has it really been 5 years since we spoke outside of Sensei’s mandated family dinners?’ didn’t seem like the right thing to say. Neither did ‘Since I found out you’re an omega my brain keeps playing out Icha Icha scenes featuring you and I don’t like it.’

Two steps to Obito’s desk and he still hadn’t looked up yet. Kakashi decided to just go on to Fugaku’s office and talk to Obito on the way out. Since Obito was so busy with his work.

But as Kakashi passed the desk Obito threw a pencil holder at him, still not looking away from something on his desk. “I said no Inabi, the captain does not want to be disturbed…oh, it’s you.” Obito finally looked to see who it is. “Don’t we have a warning system for him.” He demanded of the deadly quiet room around them.

“Coughwedocough,” One of the police sergeants near Obito fake coughed. “Coughllyerbirdcough. Fliescough.”

“I was doing the next week’s shift roster. You know how focused I get on playing god with other people’s lives.” Obito muttered then refocused his attention on Kakashi. “What are you doing here?”

“ANBU inspection of prisoner 30003. Your clan head needs to sign them.” Kakashi edged towards the door to the office.

“Ah!” Obito grabbed a glass and held it threating. “No disturbing the _Captain_ ,” he emphasized the title. “Leave it here and he’ll get back to you.”

“I am an ANBU operative, my duties are paramount-“

“My duties are paramount,” Obito repeated in a mocking tone. “Lord Fugaku is busy with actual important work that will affect the lives of every citizen in the village-“

“Obito I got my pen out from under the filing cabinet you can cancel the request for the Akimichi Chunin.” Fugaku said coming out from his office, dust all down his front.

Kakashi could feel his covered eye twitch in time with the cheek muscles under Obito’s covered eye socket. This would be the usual time for Kakashi to say something to really rile Obito up or just give him a smug look. But he resisted. Obito still held the glass and he could hurt his hand if he squeezed it too tightly.

Instead he focused on his mission. “Lord Fugaku, surprise inspection for prisoner 30003.” Kakashi pulled himself into a respectful pose.

“Ah,” Fugaku hid the pen behind his back. “Yes, of course. Right this way.”

Kakashi took one last glance at Obito, who had gone back to staring at his desk, cheeks slightly flushed. Kakashi felt a pang of regret, wishing he could sooth away the embarrassment. As Fuguku closed the door of the office, another Uchiha appeared to be trying to do just that. He got a glass to the face for his trouble.

*

Konoha did have a prison on the outskirts of the village wall, where criminals were sent. But the fourth Hokage had wanted one certain criminal very close to the Tower, where it would be hard for him to try anything suspicious.

“Ah, Sakumo’s boy.” Orochimaru cooed. “How you’ve grown.”

Kakashi looked the immortal in the eye and fondly recalled how bloody some of the attempts to execute Orochimaru had gone. After beheading, drowning and burning had failed to kill him Minato sensei had finally allowed Kakashi to try chioding the traitor Sannin right in the chest. That hadn’t worked for long but it did seem painful enough, if the screaming had been any indication.

“Prisoner 30003,” Kakashi intoned. “I am here to inspect your bindings.”

“Oh by all means. Inspect away.” He offered up his pale wrists, bound tightly by paper cuffs and chains, covered in inked seals Kushina redid every month. “It’s always nice to see a different face.”

Kakashi lifted his headband and inspected the multitude of locks and seals keeping the Sannin trapped in the small cell. He held his breath against the scent that came wafting out and focused on examining every inch of the doorless cell. Kakashi couldn’t afford to be distracted. If the chains broke and the seals failed, and Orochimaru’s cell somehow gained a gap big enough for a small snake to slip out of, then that tiny unkillable part of Ororchimaru’s soul could escape to reform somewhere else. Of course, he’d have to somehow get over the poison spiked floor and walls outside the cell, and out of the deep basement that only had a rope ladder leading out of it, which was only lowered when a visitor was coming or going, and then through a whole building of Uchiha wildly keen to blow up the child-stealing monster again.

Still. Kakashi breathed through his mouth and inspected the cell properly. He has never failed a mission before and he won’t start now.

“What is that stink?” Orochimaru demands, sticking out his shortened tongue. “I thought you ANBU know how to control your scents, not spray them all over the place like Ji-“ He cut off and for the first time since Kakashi came in, lost his look of smug contentment.

Kakashi finished his inspection, recovered Obito’s eye and flared his chakra in the prearranged pattern. The rope ladder was dropped down.

“Wait.” Kakashi paused.

“Has there been word? Has he changed his mind?”

Before Kakashi wouldn’t have bothered to answer the question. He saw no reason to bother speaking to an unkillable traitor any more than duty required. But his current situation made him flinch at the vulnerability in Orochimaru’s voice. Teammates were always a weakspot. Always.

“He vowed never to return while you remain alive in this village.” He said evenly. “Jirariya is happy in Rain. That’s all you deserve to know.” He climbed the ladder.

*

“Where’s Obito?” he asked of the Uchiha sitting in the desk next to Obito’s empty one.

“Who?” the officer stuttered, in defiance of his bruised cheek where Obito’s glass had hit him not an hour ago. “I’ve never heard of anyone by that name.”

Kakashi didn’t bother to argue. He just sighed and left, ignoring the whispers of “Lyrebird on the move, Lyrebird on the move!”. He’d speak to Obito another time. Maybe next year on his birthday.

Outside the station, the streets were bustling with happy citizens going about their business. It was a sunny day, joy almost visible in the air. So naturally, Kakashi took a sharp left and walked down a dark ally, planning to stick to the shadows all the way back to the Tower.

His path was blocked at the next corner by two teenage Uchiha, high collars at risk of being set on fire by the cigarettes they were smoking. Kakashi rolled his visible eye at their calculated sprawling and reversed back around the corner, prepared to leap up to the nearest roof.

Then he heard the sound of a door slamming open and Obito’s voice carried through the air.

“There isn’t anything here! I checked- Mako, Izumi? What are you doing? Smoking is what killed your grandfather!” Obito’s voice took on a scandalised note as he yelled at the youngsters.

“Nu-hu! He got a sword in the neck in Iron!” One voice argued.

“Yeah-hu, because his smoker's cough woke up the guards!” There came two cries of objections, as presumably Obito snatched their cigarettes, “No smoking! Now get back to work before I tell your mothers!”

Kakashi listened to the sound of the teenagers complaining as the stomped up the stair into the station. His heart beat unusually fast. He could walk around the corner and talk to Obito. Alone. In a deserted ally. He could do that. Form words. With his mouth.

While Kakashi frantically tried to convince himself to move, his nose cheerfully informed him that yes, the rest of Obito smelled just as good as his eye did. Sweet, enticing, hint of smoke. Oh, that was the smell of a cigarette continuing to be smoked.

Wait.

Kakashi burst around the corner, to see Obito calmly leaning against the closed station door, blowing out a puff of smoke with much more skill than either of the teenagers had managed.

“You-“ Kakashi pointed accusingly, trying to verbalise both to himself and Obito why seeing him smoke was setting him off so badly. “Smoke! Smell! Stop!”

Obito had jumped at his voice and flicked the cigarette away automatically. Then he registered it was Kakashi and relaxed. “Are you still here?”

Kakashi waved his hand at the dropped cigarette accusingly.

Obito rolled his eye. “Yes, because a cigarette is going to affect my lungs worse than the smoke bombs we all breathed in during the war.” His expression brightened. “That reminds me.” He stepped away from the station door and walked up to Kakashi.

Kakashi fought the urge to scale the building as Obito stopped right in front of him, smiling. This was the closest they’d been in years, standing and looking each other in the face.

Obito was still on the short side, his growth cut off abruptly from the trauma of almost being crushed the death. Rin had reacted to her failure to convince his bones to continue growing as a personal insult and reacted by micro-managing his skin grafts and repairs. The skin of the hand Obito held out to Kakashi was flawless, apart from the missing fingers.

“Kakashi. I’ve been waiting for this for a long time.”

Lulled into compliantly by the sight, by the smell and by his own jittering nerves, Kakashi put his gloved hand into Obito’s waiting one. This was good, everything was working out great-

Obito’s handgrip changed and before Kakashi could react he was being pulled forward, and then back with a strong kick to the stomach. He could have broken the hold but  Obito’s wrist would have been snapped. He chose not to react violently. That’s what Kakashi told himself when he was lying on the ground and Obito was standing over him triumphantly.

“I’ve wanted to do that for 8 years,” Obito told him smugly. “Ever since what you did to Rin.” He leaned over triumphantly, his scent wafting over Kakashi’s prone body. “I knew I’d get you one day.”

 _I’m going to get you one day._ Kakashi thought groggily. _Then I’m going to bend you over and fuck you till the only thought in your head is me._

Wait.

What?

“The Lyrebird flies!” another Uchiha yelled bursting open the station door to point accusingly.

“He sure did,” Obito laughed triumphantly and walked away back to his confused relative. Kakashi is left on the ground to ponder the realization that his hormones have kicked in at the worst possible time and aimed at the worst possible target.

Fuck.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think there may be an actual plot developing... who knew.
> 
> Fuji isn't the same Fuji as my other fic, I'm just too lazy to think up another name.
> 
> And I continue to give happy alternatives to all characters that deserve it.

Clearly Kakashi needed advice – so he went to the smartest person he knew.

“We’ve been over this, Boss. I’m a dog.” Pakkun told him after a long session of Kakashi muttering on and off about scents, hormones, inappropriate thoughts and regret. Such vulnerable admissions could only come about with his entire pack surrounding him, wedged around his limbs, Bull letting himself be used as a headrest. Pakkun, bobbing up and down slightly with each breath Kakashi took gazed down at him seriously.

Kakashi gave the pug on his chest a confused look. What did species have to do with anything?

“Mating rituals are different for humans,” Pakkun elaborated slowly.

“I don’t want to mate with him!”

“No. You want to stop wanting to mate with Obito. That’s the issue here.”

 “Yes.” Kakashi agreed cautiously. “That’s it.”

“And all this started when that eye started leaking scent?”

“Yes- the smell is just impossible to ignore. It caused everything to change.”

“Yeah,” Pakkun was silent as he rose and sank with Kakashi’s breathing. “Boss. Scent doesn’t work like that.”

“What?” Kakashi tilted his head to give Pakkun a searching look.

“I mean the smell only tells you he’s a sexually mature omega. Nothing else. You’ve smelled scents like that before, even ones that were in heat and coming on to you. So why is it that Obito’s scent upsets you so much?”

“Because-“ Kakashi doesn’t know how to verbalise the clashing of emotions within himself. The Alpha’s enthusiasm and the ANBU’s dread. Somewhere in between the two, there should have been input from the bit of himself he had tentatively labeled the real Kakashi but that part of him was silent.

“Is it because this means you have to acknowledge Obito’s an adult and not the weak teammate you need to take care of?” asked Urushi asked from under his left elbow.

“No!” But yes, maybe.

“Is it because you’re afraid someone will take your packmate from you and you’ll be left alone again?” suggested Shiba, his head resting on Kakashi’s right knee.

“No!” but yes absolutely.

“Is it because you purposefully fell in love with someone you could never have and now that it’s become possibility you’re panicking?” Pakkun asked sharply, putting his wet nose to Kakashi’s cheek. “Boss – you can’t pretend this isn’t happening. Even if Obito’s operations didn’t fix up his scent glands, he’s a grown man who deserves to have a mate. You’re a grown man who deserves a mate- shut up,” He put a paw over Kakashi’s mouth before he could start arguing with that statement. “I’m right, you _deserve_ a mate that loves and understands you. What you need to decide is if you’re going to do something about your feelings for Obito, or stand by and watch someone else court him instead.”

Pakkun moved his paw and let Kakashi talk.

Kakashi opened his mouth but nothing came out. It was overwhelming to think of himself as someone who could have a mate, a partner of his own. It was just as overwhelming to consider Obito having a mate that wasn’t him.

“What can I do? He hates me.” Kakashi finally said softly. His pack all let out comforting yips and whines and licked or nudged bits of him in reassurance.

“Like I said: dog. You need a human’s advice.” Pakkun turned in a tight circle and curled up for a nap, exhausted by his advice giving. “Just remember: no matter what happens, you’ll always have us.”

*

Gai had been waking at dawn for training since before he joined the academy as a child.  Fatherhood hadn’t changed that.

“Greetings, Rival. Is it not a glorious day to celebrate our youth and our youth’s youth!” Gai cheered as Kakashi walked up the hill to join him on his usual morning training spot. Up against a lone hilltop tree, bundled up well in a sleeping bag knitted to look like a tortious shell and surrounded by real tortoises, Gai’s adopted daughter Fuji slept peacefully, oblivious to the noise as always.

When Minato had delivered his heartfelt plea, baby Naruto angelically gurgling in his arms, that Konoha open their hearts and homes to the influx of orphans created by the ended war, Gai Maito had probably not been his target audience. Certainly, the newly created Children’s Services had thrown every test and parent’s class at the adolescent, worried a single shinobi Omega and his wheelchair-bound father were not fit to raise children scarred by war.

But Gai’s test results must have changed their minds. At home that morning with Dai, was the similarly wheelchair using Taichi and chakra-less Yonai, who would both be joining the academy next year. The slumbering Fuji was in her second year and her deafness had yet to truly obstruct her chosen profession.

Creating a Maito clan full of determined individuals who would be shinobi no matter what anyone else thought hadn’t been what Minato had been after. But he was pleased with the results none the less.

“What ails you Kakashi?” Gai asked, pausing in his push-ups.

“Nothing.”

“You’ve been staring at dear Fuji for ten minutes.”

“A man can’t look at his goddaughter?” Kakashi countered. “Did she pass her history exam?”

“After your help? Of course, she did.” Gai gave him a cheerful thumb up. “I’ll let her tell you all about it when I wake her up. But first, tell me what’s wrong.”

Kakashi exhaled slowly. “I’ve been thinking. About trying to mend things with Rin. And Obito.” He looked away, back at the slumbering Fuji. A tiny tortious summon was gently grooming her hands, nibbling at her fingertips, daintily spitting out the dirt and uneven nail edges.

Being a godfather had been a title Kakashi had tried to get out of. What did he know of children, especially damaged traumatised children? His flesh had crawled when Fuji was presented to him and told that if Gai and Dai weren’t around Kakashi would look after her. Him. Kakashi Hatake. Responsible for a child.

But Fuji had been a quiet restrained child, in between sessions of furious incoherent screaming fits, and preferred occasional pats on the head to more demonstrative affection. Kakashi gave her tutoring and unhealthy treats and Fuji gave him smiles and school work covered in glowing praise. It was a gentle partnership of hand signs and body language.

Kakashi looked back at Gai, to see his beaming face and eyes overflowing with tears. “Stop that.” He muttered embarrassed already.

“I’m just so happy,” Gai sniffed. “After so long, you’re finally ready to repair your most important bond with your beloved teammates. If I can’t help you I’ll run around Konoha 100 times with Taichi on my back!”

A stomp on the ground made them turn to see Fuji sitting up and she signed her response, “With or without his wheelchair?” she asked, raising her eyebrows.

“With!” Gai yelled and signed back. “This, I vow as your father and Kakashi’s rival!”

Kakashi didn’t bother speaking outaloud. Fuji couldn’t read his lips under his mask and he used sign-language perfectly. He greeted her and asked about her test. Fuji responded at length, waving arms warming her up for her morning exercises. Then she obediently started warming up her other muscles, letting Gai go back to talking to Kakashi alone.

“You need to start by approaching Rin in a neutral territory, when she’ll feel safe about talking to you and not threatened.”

“Rin can punch me through multiple walls any time she wants. Nowhere is threating to her.”

“Oh Rival.” Gai sighed. “You don’t understand how trauma works. Well-meant or not, you hurt Rin when she didn’t expect it. When she trusted you. That experience will always be in the back of her mind when she sees you, reverting her back to that helpless state. You have to show that you respect her boundaries, that you feel remorseful. And,” Gai looked at him warningly. “You have to explain your reasoning for the attack.”

“But she must know why-“

“She won’t know for certain until you tell her directly,” Gai said firmly. “You should have told her right after, or better yet, explained your fears before you panicked and cut her tendons. I’ve told you this all before.”

Kakashi huffed. Even if he had been able to explain to Rin why he thought the mission was a trap, that he couldn’t bear to see her risk her life with Obito still in a coma and unlikely to walk up; she probably wouldn’t have listened. Anyway, refusing a mission during wartime would have resulted in more trouble from the village counsel than a deliberate injury to a fellow Konoha shinobi. Kakashi had been given the choice of 2 years jail time or 4 years of service in the ANBU for his crime. He had gleefully accepted ANBU over Minato’s objections to the entire trial and sentencing.

“And once you’ve told Rin everything you need to give her space to deal with the information and decide how she will proceed from there.” Gai continued. “I’m almost sure she’ll forgive you, she’s a smart caring person. But it must be her decision. Like it should have been her decision whether she went on that mission or not.” He looked at Kakashi sternly, but Kakashi shrugged off that argument with ease. He had heard it all before.

“Then Obito,” Gai continued, “I think it would be best if you let Rin go to him and do the talking first, let her tell him what you said and her feelings. He won’t ever forgive you unless Rin does first.” Gai nodded to himself. “The only thing you can do until then is stop so obviously avoiding them in public and letting them push you around so much.”

“I do not let them push me around!” Kakashi objected.

“Wherever Rin and Obito go, you leave if you can possibly manage it. It’s not a coincidence they used to show up all the time whenever you went anywhere in the village. They were trying to punish you.” Gai explained. “They stopped after a while before I had to have a word with them about it, because your teammates aren’t naturally so petty. It’s not fun provoking someone who won’t fight back.” He gave a smile. A smaller, softer smile than his usual broad and bright ones. “I don’t know why you’ve finally decided to mend your bond with them, but I’m very proud of you. This is a big step forward.”

“Okay...” Kakashi hide his embarrassment and guilt and looked over to Fuji, who was doing sit-ups with two mid-sized tortoises holding her legs. With such encouraging words, there was no way Kakashi could admit his real motive for wanting to fix things with Rin. If Gai knew it was just because of his selfish desires he’d be so disappointed.

*

“Who are you and what have you done with the real Kakashi?” asked Shizune skeptically, when Kakashi showed up for his medical check-up on time. Her apprentice formed chakra scalpels with both hands, ready to attack at the slightest sign of trouble. “No Kabuto. Bad,” she said without looking at him. “No attacking the patients until we confirm he’s a threat first.”

Kabuto gave the slightest hint of a pout and let the chakra in his hands die away.

“I have an appointment,” Kakashi said innocently. “I need to pass an assessment before I can take out of village missions again.”

“Usually we have to hunt you down and order you here for check-ups, after you’ve faked a signature on your records or tricked a new nurse into signing you out as fully healed. Do you think I check all healed stab wounds myself? I’m director of the hospital, I have better things to do.” Shizune looked down at her clipboard. “There’s no notice of you even bugging the medic trainees to heal you faster- what’s going on?”

“I thought I’d follow my medic’s orders, just this once,” Kakashi said brightly.

Kabuto snorted. “Rin threatened you into obedience, didn’t she?”

“Ah, that makes sense.” Shizune agreed, with a glance at Kakashi’s last hospital visit notes. “Good guess Kabuto.”

Her apprentice preened. It was amazing the effects absentminded kindness and respect had on former child spies. Kabuto had been caught attempting to rescue Orochimaru sometime after the seventh attempted execution and his whole awful past had come out into the open. Kakashi really hadn’t believed he could be reformed back into a loyal Konoha shinobi but it looked like Shizune was succeeding. It had been two whole months since Kabuto’s last attempt to sow discord and sell information from one ward of the hospital to another. The positive reinforcement and spray bottle Shizune kept handy really worked. If he held out another month Minato was going to tell him which trash heap Danzo’s ashes had been thrown into so Kabuto could go spit on them whenever he liked.

“Let’s see your arm so I can go and keep the hospital running,” Shizune said briskly, handing her clipboard to Kabuto and stepping up to Kakashi. “Is something wrong with your eye?” she asked, when Kakashi hesitated to uncover his Sharingan. “Do I need to get a specialist?”

“No,” reluctantly Kakashi uncovered it and the soft scent wafted out of its confinement.

Shizune’s nose twitched slightly. “What on earth? You’re down as an Alpha. You can’t lie about things like that on medical documents!”

“It’s Obito’s scent, not mine,” Kakashi explained quickly, glad the room was private and sealed off. Kabuto pulled a face as the scent reached him. “I’m just adjusting to it.”

Shizune stared at him. “It’s an eye.” She said slowly

“Yes.”

“An eye that’s been in your skull for over five years.” She expanded.

“Yes”

“Eyes don’t have scent glands,” Shizune explained gently.

Kakashi shrugged. “It’s a Sharingan.”

“I don’t care if it’s the legendary Rinnegan, eyes don’t work like that!” Shizune exclaimed, pointing accusingly at the eyeball in question.

“Sharingan” Kakashi repeated because that explained everything to him.

“I have to agree with him, Sensei.” Kabuto pipped up. “The Sharingan defies understanding. The Uchiha can do almost anything with them if they try hard enough. Lor-“, he stopped and took a breath before correcting himself. “The traitor Orochimaru theorised the eyes simply reformed reality around themselves as their wielders wished. And if Obito wished to irate Kakashi, this would be a fairly effective yet harmless way to do so.”

“Okay-“ Shizune gave Kabuto, the eye, and Kakashi suspicious looks. “Let’s just carry on and pretend this all makes sense.” She continued checking over Kakashi’s wounds and usual problem areas of his head and neck, frowning at the absurdity of it all.

“Shizune, could you give Rin a message from me?” Kakashi finally asked as Shizune dictated her last observations.

Kabuto stopped writing to look at him closely.

Shizune sighed. “You did hear what I said about me being the director of a hospital and incredibly busy? But sure, I’ll play messenger if I get a free moment in my 15-hour work day.”

“Thank-you,” Kakashi said sincerely, ignoring her sarcasm. “Can you tell her I want to meet and talk somewhere public, and she can decide the time and place?”

“Okay,” Shizune said, giving him a concerned look. “if you really mean that.”

“I do.” Kakashi stood. “Thank-you for your time.” he walked away but stopped and turned at the door when Kabuto followed him.

“If you are trying to do something to mess up Anko’s relationship with Rin…” Kabuto whispered, voice neutral and face blank. “I’ll tell Kushina you were the one that taught her sons to use fire jutsu.”

Kakashi blinked. Maybe Kabuto wasn’t as reformed as he had thought. Did Shizune know-

“No Kabuto.” The spray bottle appeared in Shizune's hand. “No verbally threatening the patients on hospital property. Bad.” She squirted him with a small puff of harmless water.

Kakashi escaped before she could turn on him. How Kabuto knew he had taught Tenzo and Naruto a tiny campfire jutsu was a mystery to be solved another day. For now, he had to carry on as normal and wait for Rin’s response.

 


	4. Chapter 4

Rin brought Obito with her to the meeting, because when had anything in Kakashi’s life ever been easy. The sight of them both in the Tower cafeteria almost had Kakashi out the nearest window, but then the whole situation would just linger on. He stood his ground and gritted his teeth as his old teammates approached, holding hands.

“You wanted to talk to me?” Rin demanded, distrust in her body language.

Kakashi nodded and forced himself to look into her brown eyes, then over to Obito’s single black one. Obito’s scent was as strong as ever, even with Rin’s Alpha pheromones liberally rubbed on him. That normality went a long way to relaxing Kakashi, Rin and Obito having grown up with their scents mingling together even before Rin had presented her own Alpha nature. It brought back fond memories, not a murderous rage that Obito was carrying Rin’s scent with easy grace.

“Can we sit,” Kakashi gestured to the small table he’d managed to keep empty in the corner of the room.

Rin looked at the two person table and frowned, but Obito tugged on her hand before she could talk. “Can I have your Tower card? I missed lunch.” He said sheepishly gesturing to the cafeteria serving area.

“You have to eat if you want to fully heal Obito,” Rin coaxed, letting go of his hand to dig around in the deep bag she carried. “I know the medicine takes away your appetite, but you must remember-“ She trailed off as Kakashi silently offered up his Tower ID.

Obito and Rin exchanged looks before Obito reached out and hesitantly took the card. “Thanks? I’m not getting you anything, if that’s what you expect-“

“No.” Kakashi hurriedly assured him. “Just get what you want.”

Obito shrugged at Rin and left, walking back towards the food counter.

Rin gave Kakashi a long look and then sat down. “So, what’s this all about, Kakashi. I’ve had reports you’ve been acting strangely lately.”

Kakashi swallowed and sat down on the very edge of his own chair. “Do you remember the last year of the war, when it just wouldn’t end, no matter what we were officially told?”

“Of course. Mist started up just when Iwa grudgingly agreed to peace terms, as if it wasn’t starving from lack of food supplies. Turned poor Nagato into a jinjuriki and tried to set him on Konoha. Thank goodness his team kept him stable until Kushina got there to help…” Rin clenched her fist. “Lady Tsunade told me she thought Jiraiya training those three orphans was a mistake, but they were the ones that ended the war. If Konan and Yahiko hadn’t been there to distract him, if Nagato didn’t already know how to control his Uzumaki level chakra, the beast’s chakra would have overwhelmed him and destroyed everything in its path.” Her brown eyes narrowed. “But why are you bringing up that incident Kakashi? What does that have to do with anything?” she looked at him with a frown.

Kakashi looked down at her clenched fist and calculated his escape route when she started swinging it towards him. “The mission to Mist, which the Third outsourced to Jiraiya's students, was originally going to be given to us.”

Rin’s whole body froze. Kakashi kept his eyes down and trained on her right first.

“What do you mean, given to us?” she demanded softly.

“Us, the soon to be 4th’s students, on a mission to unofficially make contact with the Mist’s rebel forces. The Konoha council wanted to form diplomatic links before anyone else, so they set the mission before it was officially allowed. They wanted to get in ahead of Suna and Kumo.” Kakashi explained stoically.

Rin didn’t punch him but instead laid her hand palm down on the table, the fingers trembling slightly. “Why didn’t they send us then?”

“Because I crippled you and was jailed to face trial.” Kakashi couldn’t help but let his voice sound careless. A throwback to how he had presented himself then, uninterested in his safety as long as Rin and Obito were safe.

“Kakashi-“ Rin pushed herself up by her arms, to stand and loom across the table at him. “Are you telling me you cut my ankle tendons, crippling me for two years and almost ending my entire career... In some twisted effort to save me?” She leaned down towards him. “Why the hell should I believe you?”

“Because it’s the truth? And the records of the mission are on file in the hokage tower records. I didn’t know about the plan Mist had to seal the Isobu badly and set loose the victim in Konoha. I just knew the mission was much more dangerous than the report said and that someone had lied about the hostility level of Mist. I knew the rebels weren’t organised enough to be meet with diplomatically. They only really took power three years later. Who ever gave the go ahead for that mission was an idiot or out to get someone killed.”

“It that’s true, then why didn’t you just tell me? Or refuse the mission as the Jounin or tell Minato or anything.” Rin sounded lost. “Why didn’t you do anything but attack me out of nowhere? I trusted you! I trusted you without question. I thought Obito had got through to you and you were a decent person-“

“I’m not a decent person.” Kakashi said flatly, interrupting her rant. “I’ve never been anything but an excellent shinobi and a terrible human being. You know that more than anyone. I tried to contact Minato-sensei but he was out of reach on the Kumo front, I appealed for the mission details to be changed or verified, I thought hard about telling you so we could both refuse the mission. But if you did that you’d be court martialed and imprisoned like me. You’d have lost your medical licence and access to Obito’s treatment. You were the only medic invested in his recovery, everyone else thought he would never wake up! I didn’t want to force you to pick between your life or his!” despite himself Kakashi’s voice started to get worked up.

“So you made the choice for yourself and betrayed my trust in you.” Rin glared. “I trusted you Kakashi. I loved you and you took my legs from me, you would have taken my shinobi career for me if I didn’t work hard for years to heal myself,” She looked as if she was about to cry, but anger overcame her face instead. “And why are you telling me this now? After so many years of making me wonder if you’re going to turn on me or someone else again? Why didn’t you tell me once the war ended and it was safe?”

Kakashi shifted uneasily, “I didn’t think my reasons mattered. You made it clear we were to pretend to be fine in front of Minato and ignore each other outside of that. I know I messed up, that what I did was unforgivable. I just didn’t know-”

“What? What did the great Kakashi Hatake not know?”

“I didn’t know how much I’d miss having you as my friend!” exclaimed Kakashi, surprising himself with the admission. “I was fine dealing with the guilt and your anger. I didn’t know I’d miss you so much. It just doesn’t end. It’s always there. I thought if I told you this would stop hurting so much. But I was wrong.” Kakashi stared down at the floor. “I miss you both so much, especially when you’re right next to me. I’m sorry I hurt you, but I would do it again to save you both if I had to. I just thought it was time you knew why.”

Rin blinked “Both of us?... you never even spoke to Obito when he woke up, you never even thanked him for his eye!”

“I knew he would be on your side, why would I inflict myself on him?” Kakashi asked simply.

“Oh my god.” Rin slumped down in her chair, hands rubbing at her forehead. “You are the stupidest, most emotionally limited person I have ever meet. And I worked under Orochimaru. We missed you too you idiot.”

Kakashi started back at that statement. He had been pretty sure Rin would throw his apology and his body out the window.

“Well.” Kakashi swallowed and stood up. “That’s all I wanted to say…”

Rin grabbed his hand. Kakashi flinched.

Her face softened and she let go. “Kakashi, I’m going to need some time to think about everything you’ve said, okay? Just wait a while until I can decide how to proceed. Don’t do anything stupid.”

“Hum,” he said neutrally and turned to leave.

Obito, holding a tray piled high with food, stepped in front of him, frowning. “Is that it? You arranged this meeting and you're leaving already?”

“I have a mission.” Kakashi said and stepped back to let him pass.

Obito didn’t move. “But you didn’t eat anything. I used your lunch and breakfast tokens...” glanced guiltily down at Kakashi’s card tucked into his shirt pocket. Obito’s scent wafted out, mixing unpleasantly with the other scents throughout the room. Someone near them had a smell similar to cooked cabbage. Nothing like Obito’s subtle lemongrass scent, the hints of Rin’s strong ginger and mint smell still lingering on him.

“I have ration bars-“ Kakashi put out a hand for his Tower ID. Obito frowned. Then he carefully balanced the tray with his good hand and took out the card handing it over casually.

Kakashi took the card without touching Obito’s fingers and resisted the urge to sniff it.

“Wait.” Obito passed him a steaming cup and then a wrapped packet of what felt like warm dumplings. “No one deserves ration bars.” He walked away before Kakashi could react, towards the table where Rin sat watching him with narrow eyes and the slightest hint of a knowing smirk.

Kakashi fled.

*

Much later that day Kakashi smacked the hand that reached for the last dumpling in the packet.

The Iwa nin he was charged to escort squawked and took back his whimpering hand. “You’ve been staring at it for ten minutes, I thought you didn’t want it!”

Kakashi had been weighing up the possibility of keeping the dumpling forever framed above his bed, but now spite and hunger overwhelmed his softer emotions and he pointedly turned to stuff the dumping under his mask and into his mouth.

“I hope you choke, un.” Deidra muttered, petting the hand whose mouth was still yelping in pain. “Let’s get going so I can get back to my stile.”

With his mouth full Kakashi didn’t reply, just followed the blond child though the quiet forest path. When he had been told he would be escorting Iwa’s prominent genius along the Fire land’s borders, Kakashi had been expecting a shinobi type genius, brimming with weapons and issues like himself at that age.

But Deidra was a sculpture prodigy, whose works were one of the main sources of revenue Iwa had with its military power still unrecovered from the war. He had been commissioned by the Wind Daimyo to make a series of works that now lined the main wall of his palace. A job that apparently took twice as long as it should have because of all the last minute changes the Daimyo demanded.

“...can’t believe it took so long to shut him up....the old man better let me focus on my art, not copying more stupid old statues…” The young Alpha continued to mutter under his breath as as he walked on. Deidre clearly had some shinobi training, having been able to keep up with Kakashi’s brisk walk for most of the day but his total lack of caution towards Kakashi pointed to a lack of knowledge to the shinobi lifestyle. After all, no teenager would be so unconcerned with being alone with the famed Grey Hound, Konoha’s great assassin.

“...and if he tries to send me off again I’m leaving for Taki…”

...Definitely no knowledge of how shinobi work.

“You really shouldn’t threaten to switch alliances in front of a shinobi from another village.” Kakashi said blandly as they walked up an overgrown dirt path.

“Why, you gonna try telling me I should join up with Konoha?” Deidre gave a soft laugh. “You going to tell me all about the Will of Fire and how I’ll be a treasured asset on the great Tree of Life?” he mocked.

“I was going to lead with our great health care and growing economy.”

“-Made by experimenting on stolen babies and sucking the Fire Daimyo's dick. Everyone knows how your kage kept his hat after that failed coup.”

The rage that flared through Kakashi was fast and hot, gone before he had time to do more than twitch his hand towards his weapons pouch. It had been such a long time since anyone had even hinted at Danzo’s attempt for power, the revelations that had come with his coup and the ugly rumours that still lingered around Minato-sensei’s private audience with their Daimyo.

Kakashi had been there, had been part of the escort to the court. He would have known if anything had happened to his teacher. Because Kushina had gone too and she would have leveled the palace if anyone had laid a finger on her mate.

Kakashi breathed out level and noted that despise his lack of a reaction Deidre was still looking at him cautiously, the mouth on one hand whimpering slightly. He scented the air and ruefully reigned in his scent that had expanded out with his temper.

They walked on in silence all the way to the end of the border.

 


End file.
